The disillusionment over the ugliness and lack of safety of buildings sprouting over the Maltese and Gozitan landscape is constantly rising. An Italian proverb captures wisely the essence of this situation - "Where corruption of tastes reigns, moral corruption reigns likewise".
Not only are sound-minded persons witnessing the corruption of traditional Maltese architectural design and a shortage of related trade skills, but we are also experiencing an all-round lack of public safety in the construction industry.
This feature touches on the surface of a much larger hidden iceberg, focusing only on some of the shortcomings this industry poses.
Degeneration
The dark clouds constantly rising over the construction and development industry reached a tumultous climax with the Jean-Paul Sofia public inquiry. This tragedy marked a defining moment, sympthomatic of the degeneration of moral, artistic and health and safety values. It is hoped that the recommendations of the public inquiry will bring about the much-desired change of heart in the way business is conducted.
We see an all-round pervasive use of materials such as aluminium, concrete and glass, especially in high-rise buildings. We are creating a new Maltese version of Dubai and forgetting that our islands cannot take all this "load" of construction. We have no land mass to spare, unless we reclaim land from the sea.
Traffic flows and alignment of roads have been congested to their limits, destroying large tracts of arable land. Many people are getting frustrated by the day as tension and anxiety grows as we wait endlessly in long traffic tailbacks reminiscing and romanticising of a time when Malta was greener, calmer and less corrupt (in all senses).
We are losing our national identity in all its cultural facets; a Malta over-populated, overbuilt and over-exhausted. If we continue on this road to perdition, things will only get worse unless one presses the brakes.
A balace of all sorts
What is being suggested here is not a crusade against progress and development but a serious exercise in bringing about a national equilibrium. Any sense of reason and balance has been lost giving way to a one-sided distortion of the Maltese way of life. The savage greedy craze of mass architectural rape with its post-modernistic trend is putting aside all reference to Malta's classic architectural past.
There is also the use of cheap material in buildings. This, to save on building material costs, such as the use of gypsum and small-sized bricks which are extremely dubious with regard to strength in supporting walls. Moreover, what are the guarantees, if provided, on the stability of this work and how long will it last over time?
Trades and skills
It is an open secret that Maltese traditional trades and skills are dying out. Is this a result of a "dying" Maltese native population or is it because of the economic model being adopted based on mass production? Surely, an economy driven by massive concrete structures does not require much specialised, professional and traditional Maltese trade skills.
The closure of trade schools, such as the Umberto Colosso and Gilormu Cassar trade schools was a huge mistake and we are paying the price of this error; a lacuna has been created. Doing away with these schools marked a downfall or worst still, a downgrading in the educational system, creating a shortfall in the production of native skilled employment, which is still in great demand in the labour market. The excuse generated by policymakers with regard to trade schools was that the economy should shift its emphasis to IT. The consequences of this one-sided approach resulted a shortage of Maltese workers in stone masonry and sculpture, custom-made furniture-making, wrought iron work (ferrobattuto), wood sculpture, welders, panel beaters and sprayers, to mention just a few. Even lace-making, which is one of Malta's oldest traditions, is very hard to come by. It is a fact that nobody is being taught these trades and hence there is no one to inherit them for future generations. If our heritage and artistic patrimony is not cared for, it might be lost forever. The only workers left in trades and skills are mainly in their 50s or 60s. Who will make up for the loss in skills when these persons pass away?
Another factor that has not helped local trades and professions was the closure and privatision of the Malta Drydocks. Many highly-skilled Maltese workers who worked there, left employment and finding replacements was challenging, particularly since trade schools were closed. Many foreign workers were brought over to make up for this shortfall.
Trade schools were given a bad reputation, labelled and stigmatised as only fit for children who did not want to learn. Was this excuse a dry one to close off trade schools and import a foreign labour force, which is now taking over every aspect of the Maltese economy? It is noted that it was thanks to Maltese workers who emergeds successfully from trade schools that Malta was built over the decades.
What is being imported now, by way of foreign workers, is mainly brick layers who are not specialised or professional in traditional Maltese trades. This is all a phenomenon of our economy, which is based on mass production, cheap labour and even modern slavery. This is not to say that foreign labour should not be imported, but apart from being protected in pay and work conditions, our policymakers should not lose sight of the local native working population.
A shift in mentality is required to earnestly protect and enhance Maltese traditional skills by re-opening and re-introducing technical and trade schools to make up for the alarming shortage of workers in this area. Boys and girls should be encouraged early (11 years of age) to enter in trade schools in order that they acquire the skills at a tender age and hence obtain the necessary formation in the selected trade. By age 16, they should be ready to enter the labour force.
The role of the geologist
The results of the public inquiry report of the Jean-Paul Sofia case have highlightened grave shortcomings in the construction industry. One of the observed drawbacks was related to the acknowledgment of the role of geologists. By right they should form part of the team assessing the safety of building site foundations, as is done all over Europe. This work is also very much related to the use and size of the load-bearing stonework of adjacent divisory walls of third parties. This should be undertaken before any demolition or development is given the go ahead.
The geologists' work deals with public safety, among other matters; studying the surface and what lies beneath a site which is up for development. The safety of the workers and neighbours cannot be sidelined, sacrificed or taken lightly to make way for dangerous and rushed up work, as witnessed in several local tragedies.
Moreover, the geological survey map of the Maltese islands needs updating and correction to accurately assess the type and quality of strata in the different zones of the Maltese islands. The importance of health and safety cannot be emphasised too much, as it involves people's lives.
This snapshot overview of the big picture of what is currently at stake in the construction industry should form part of a wake-up call and eye-opener to anyone with a social conscience to speak out and act to make Malta safer, cleaner and calmer.